


Heartbeat

by Badass_Space_Fish



Series: The Heartbeat Chronicles [1]
Category: Lifeline (Video Game 2015)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alien Biology, Alien Character(s), Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Flora & Fauna, Alien Mythology/Religion, Alien Planet, Alien Technology, Alien/Human Hybrids, Alien/Human Relationships, Astronauts, Astronomy, Being Lost, Character Death, Crash & Burn, Crash Landing, Daughters, Drama & Romance, Earth, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Future, Hive Mind, IN SPACE!, Major Original Character(s), Mind Control, Mind/Mood Altering Substances, Missing Persons, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Outer Space, Parasites, Partial Mind Control, Planets, Prison, Romance, Science Fiction, Space Husbands, Space Stations, Spaceships, Stranded, Survival, Survivor Guilt, Teen Romance, taylor's daughter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 08:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12980637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badass_Space_Fish/pseuds/Badass_Space_Fish
Summary: Looking at these stars suddenly dwarfed my own troubles and all the gravities of terrestrial life. I thought of their unfathomable distance, and the slow inevitable drift of their movements out of the unknown past into the unknown future.— H. G. Wells, The Time Machine, 1895.Ash Maddox has always been normal. Well, except that she has no mother and a 29-year-old father who got stranded on a moon in another solar system far away.But one day her father, Taylor, was assigned on his first official mission into space and Ash doesn't want to risk losing her only parent so she plans to prevent him from going, but she accidentally ends up getting dragged along for the ride, however things take a turn for the worst and she ends up stranded on a planet alone with her father.Ash doesn't think she has any connections with this new planet at all, or that it would have any importance to anything. Little did she know that this planet contained everything that had to do with her, it was just a matter of time until she found out all its secrets and everything this new planet had to offer. The only challenge she faced: Not dying.





	Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, I just wanted to start off just by saying thank you for reading this and it means a lot to me. I'm writing this story because I obviously love the game and I think that it is so fandom worthy and I hope that this Fanfiction would be in of the ones to help kick-start the fandom. I hope everyone enjoys this story and if you do I hope you show support. But again, thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy my story!
> 
> Ps: I'm probably gonna be doing MAJOR editing so expect some changes to the writing but not to the storyline itself :)

**Ash's P.O.V**

I sat on a bed, listening to music and staring out of the bedroom window out unto the huge, blazing super city of Old New York.

It was just a normal day out here, flying cars rushing from place to place, traffic on the ground, pure white hover monorails whizzing by with such a force and speed that they shake any rooms it flies by if the rooms are close enough to the railways, everything in the city sparkling clean.

Some of the older skyscrapers are built into the ground, the more modern ones float above their foundations using the science of magnetism.

The building I dwell in is a bit older, as it's built into the ground but it still stands pretty high. The apartment I live in is a few floors below the penthouse and it has breathtaking views (particularly at night). The only downside it really has is that it's a bit small but otherwise it's pretty great.

Dad isn't around at the moment; he has work on weekdays and I usually spend a few hours here after school, at home, alone until he gets back from work usually with dinner too.

I don't have a mom so that leaves me alone in this apartment alone to do whatever I please.

But I don't really have a problem with it; we need the credits. We get good amounts of them from his work befits and people giving us credits to 'help him pull through' from an event that occurred ten years ago but we accept it because it pays for about half our bills. The people who give us the credits are the reason we even were able to get this apartment in the first place, so I don't have any issues with them giving us the credits.

I also enjoy sitting on his bed when he isn't around because it's big, comfy and everything is soft. The only thing that isn't so nice about this bed is knowing how many nightmares that have been born in this bed. It's rare that this bed sees a night without one, little less several.

I can tell they happen because these walls aren't completely soundproof, I've heard a good share of cries, sobs, yells, shouts, and screams come through my bedroom walls.

Every now and then he'd sprint straight into my room in a complete mess without knocking just to see if I'm there and okay. After that he gives me a tight hug, cries into my shoulder like a pillow and usually spends the rest of the night on a couch in my room to 'watch over me' which is code for the fact that he doesn't want to leave me after dreaming about something horrible happening to me, which is understandable.

When I was younger I got scared that something happened to him so I'd be the one to run into his room and sleep in his bed with him but I'm too old for that now so now it's the other way around. I also can't sleep over at any of my friend's homes or have them sleepover here because of it so Dad doesn't wake up from a nightmare and needs to see me and I'm not even there or if he wakes up screaming and there are other people around. It kind of sucks but it's just a part of life.

He keeps a dream log so he can show it to all his therapists, doctors and all those people so they could find the areas he needs help with and stuff, I don't really know because I'm always stuck out in the waiting room.

I start to feel a little hungry, I haven't eaten in a while so I got up and went out to the kitchen and up to the fridge where I stopped and looked at the list of rules on the fridge.

**_House (Well, apartment) Rules:_ **

**_Rule 1: Dad is always right._ **

**_Rule 2: If dad is wrong, refer to rule #1_ **

**_Rule 3: If you don't know what something means ask dad._ **

**_Rule 4: Curfew is at 9:00. If you aren't home by then I will find you, and I will ground you._ **

**_Rule 5: Don't skip school or get in trouble in school. I don't want to leave work to pick you up after you get suspended or expelled._ **

**_Rule 6: Rule five doesn't apply if it involves you getting harassed, assaulted or if they talk crap about dad. Because if they talk crap about dad feel free to unleash an epic can of whoop ass._ **

**_Rule 7: Don't vandalize the apartment or throw any big parties. You don't have a dog to blame so don't even try that again._ **

**_Rule 8: We're never having gummy snacks in this apartment again. Same goes for private part shaped food._ **

**_Rule 9: Don't do drugs, don't drink alcohol, stay in school and eat your veggies._ **

**_Rule 10: Dad always finds out. ALWAYS._ **

**_MOST IMPORTANT RULE: DO NOT. AND DAD MEANS DO NOT. TALK ABOUT THE LITTLE GREEN SHITS FROM THAT FRIGGIN MOON SPACE ROCK THING (I DON'T EVEN CARE ANYMORE) I GOT STRANDED ON. PERIOD. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. DON'T EVEN ASK QUESTIONS. ASK YOUR TEACHER OR SOMEONE WHO ISN'T ME._ **

I read these rules over with my hand on the button that opens the fridge before hitting it and grabbing what I wanted.

There are more rules than this but these are the major ones.

There are several stories behind the whole gummy snacks thing. It was originally just gummy fruit snacks but then there were more events that ended up raising the toll up to all gummy snacks.

The first time a gummy snack was put on the list was because my dad had these fruit snacks that he brought to work in his lunch and it was a rule for me to not to eat them. I never did except one day I was going through my monthly cycle and I was opening a pad which came across to my dad as eating fruit snacks.

He yelled "Ash I know you're eating my fruit snacks!" before barging in without even looking at the situation and took the pad out of my hands and running off with it before realizing that he just took a maxi pad from his menstruating daughter's hands. It was then he knew the true danger of gummy snacks. The next day it magically appeared on the list as being banned.  **(Totally not based off a Tumblr post)**

I sighed and sat down on the couch and ate my food before looking at the ceiling and sighing.

Being at home alone is fun until you run out of things to do and I can't leave the house so...

Well, I  _could_ leave the apartment if I wanted to for a while except that if I open the front door Dad's phone would go off then he'd look at the cameras to the living room, door, hallway, and elevators. If he saw me or that I threw a party in one of them, he'd call me and I'd be grounded in a second until I move out on my own.

The only thing I could think about doing was having a marathon of my favorite shows on Netflix or text my friends. Which, is a lot of fun actually.

I decided to go down the Netflix route and the minute I thought about it a section of wall flipped over into a screen and Netflix appeared.

The only thing to finish this off was just to get popcorn and so I ran into the kitchen, got it and came back and started watching Doctor Who, the world's oldest show.

~6:00 pm~

**Taylor's P.O.V**

I sighed as I finally got to the door to my apartment with tonight's dinner in a bag by my side.

I hit the pad on the door to open it, but it didn't open.

I hit it again. It didn't open.

This time I actually looked at the pad as I pressed the button.

_Access Denied_ it said in a red notification.

The door is supposed to recognize my fingerprints and open. The only reason this shouldn't work would be if someone removed me from the system. Which that person would have to do it from the inside...

"Ash!" I yelled as I poked my head through the dog door I got specifically for this reason.

I got it so I'd be able to squeeze in through it so we wouldn't have this problem, but I probably should've tested it out first because it only looked like I'd be able to fit through it but no. The only way I could get my shoulders in is if I maneuver through the dog door correctly but it's just pain and I'd just be able to get the front half of my body in so it isn't even worth it.

"Oh, hi Dad." She said as she slowly looked at me in a dark room, light up by only the tv screen.

"Let me in!" I said urgently.

"But dad, I'm riding the crimson flow. I don't feel like it." She said calmly and collected.

"Ash! I don't want to hear about how you're paying the monthly phone bill! Just let me in!" I said and she threw a piece of popcorn at my head.

"I'll only let you in if you give me chocolate." She said and threw another piece of popcorn at my face.

"I am literally sticking my head through a dog door, begging you to let me in. I have food. I don't need to give you candy." I said and all I got in reply was another piece of popcorn in my face. "And stop throwing popcorn at my face!"

"Aw but it's fun!" She whined and threw yet another piece of popcorn at my face.

"ASHTON STELLAR MADDOX LET ME INTO THIS APARTMENT RIGHT NOW YOUNG LADY!" I yelled, finally losing my temper.

"Dad. Do you realize that there's more of an age gap between me and a one-year-old or younger than there is between me and you? Sure the kid is younger but it's still something to consider." Ash said casually.

"Ash... Let me in. Now. I don't care about age gaps. I am your father and I'm in charge around here..." I growled.

"Says the guy sticking his head through the dog door. Get me the chocolate and then I'll let you in." She said and I let out another annoyed sigh.

"Well I was gonna go to the NASA base this weekend and I was planning on bringing you but now I don't really know-" I started and Ash bolted, and I mean  _bolted_  to the door.

I pulled my head out of the dog door, stood up and picked the bag of food up as the door opened and I walked in.

I didn't even take five steps into the house when Ash sprinted up to me and hugged me tightly, almost knocking me over. I awkwardly returned the hug slowly.

"Dad I love you! Please forgive me! I'll do anything I'll even throw out all the gummy bears under my out of the window in front of you if you want me to just please take me with you this weekend! Please?!" Ash said quickly with her face buried in my lower shoulder.

"It's okay. If you're hungry you can let go of me so I can take this into the kitchen but if you wanna keep hugging that's fine too I guess." I said and she let go.

"Yea... Okay. I'll get the plates!" Ash said and she ran off into the kitchen.

I followed her in, walking in calmly and set the bag on the counter. I opened it and pulled out Chinese with a soft smirk.

I looked over at Ash, who was pulling out three plates.

"Who's the third plate for?" I asked and she looked down at them.

"Oh." She said quietly and put the extra plate back in the cupboard.

She's been doing that a lot lately. I'm not sure why. It might be just a simple mistake that I'm looking too far into but I think it means something else. I think it has something to do with the lack of a mother.

"Oo Chinese!" She said as she looked into the bag and pulled out the food.

"So how was school?" I asked, attempting to start a conversation.

"Good. Nothing new really." She said as she put her food on her plate.

"How're your friends?" I asked, putting my own food on my plate.

"Fine. Jessie is still crushing on that same guy." Ash said with a rather annoyed sigh and made her way to the table.

"Aren't you gonna help her out or something. Like, last time I checked that's what friends did for each other. That's what I do." I said, still scooping noodles onto my plate.

"Jessie's crush is straight," Ash said simply.

"That's good in her case, so why don't you help her out?" I asked simply.

"Jessie is a boy, Dad," Ash said and I stopped with a confused look.

"I imagined Jessie as a girl..." I trailed off.

"Yea, well, she's a guy so..." Ash said and I shrugged it off. 

"So how've you been?" I asked as I walked to the table, trying to escape the awkward moment.

"Good..." Ash trailed off, my question probably made things even more awkward.

"What've you been up to?" I asked and sat down.

"Just hanging out..." Ash trailed off.

"What boy do I need to send death threats to?" I asked with a smirk.

"No one..." Ash said things were probably ten times more awkward for her than it was for me.

Wait no, I'm actually finding amusement from this rather than awkwardness now that I brought the topic of her having crushes on boys or girls for all I know.

"Oh, I think you do... Boy or girl?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.

"I don't have a crush on anyone..." Ash trailed off, at this point, she was blushing.

"Don't lie..." I said quietly with a smirk.

"I don't have a crush on anyone." She stated simply, struggling not to smile.

"Ash, don't lie, I already know who you like," I said simply with a smile.

"Well, who is it then?" Ash asked with an 'oh crap' face.

"It's Kade," I said with a smirk and chuckled.

"Kade who?" She asked, internally knowing that she lost the game.

"Kade Casey," I said. "You know, the nice brunette boy with brown eyes and olive skin..." I smirked and leaned in and whispered. "The one with the spaceship..."

Ash's face had a look of nothing but fear and disturbed.

"What? I said spaceship. You know, it's the vessel you use to go to space in. What did you think I meant by the term?" I asked and took a bite of food.

"Um... Can I date him?" Ash asked curiously.

"No," I stated simply.

"Aw, why not?" She whined and I sighed.

"Because if I let you two date it'll only be a matter of time until he drives that spaceship of his straight into Uranus," I said and Ash started choking. 

"Ash. Swallow the food." I said and she swallowed almost painfully before letting out one final cough.

"You'd be doing a lot of that too," I said, trying not to die laughing while waving my fork in front of my face at her.

"DAD! SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR FOOD!" Ash yelled and flung a fortune cookie straight into my face and I laughed.

"It's true though!" I said while giggling like a school girl, Ash's face was redder than a tomato at this point.

"I don't get it. Why'd you got so embarrassed? I was only using space terminology." I said and continued eating my food.

"Dad. You know exactly what you were doing." Ash said, about ready to kill me at this point and I chuckled.

"Okay, okay, I'm done," I said and laughed a little more.

"But you should've seen your face! Your expression was priceless!" I said and died laughing and Ash was not amused at all.

"Okay, I'm done here." She said as she stood up with her now empty plate and left to put it away, I had barely even touched my food.

I finished laughing and sighed before leaning over and quickly ate my food before following her to the living room and plopping down on the couch.

"So how was work?" She asked to break the brief silence.

"It was fine. Work. Office. It was as good as it I get I bet." I said with a long sigh.

"So what're we going to the base this weekend for?" Ash asked curiously.

"A meeting," I said simply and tiredly.

"Oh," Ash said simply and re-positioned herself in her seat to get more comfortable.

"We should move up there. They have housing, offices and everything we need. The housing is cheap too and it's only for people who work there; like you." Ash suggested and I looked at her.

"What about your friends?" I asked curiously.

"I can talk to them through FaceTime or something," Ash suggested.

"Don't you like it here?" I asked, sitting up more.

"Yea but I wanna move up there," Ash stated simply.

"Ash you're fine here. We've got a nice apartment and we have everything we need. And the only reason you want to move up there is so you can go and be with rocket boy, who I will be more than willing to kill him or any other boy who would even think about touching you." I said and Ash mumbled a 'Dad' before leaning over so her face was buried in my chest and mumbling something I couldn't make out.  

"You seem a bit huggable. Are you tired?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I moved an arm and put it on her loosely.

"Dad it's only seven at night," Ash said, turning her head so I could actually hear her.

"...Right..." I trail off. "But that doesn't mean you're not tired."

"Dad I'm really not tired," Ash said tiredly.

"You don't sound like you aren't tired. Last night you said you went to bed at around nine last night. But you didn't go to bed then, did you? You seemed like you were pretty awake when I ran in there at one in the morning." I said and Ash shook her head slightly.

"So when did you go to sleep?" I asked, looking down at the girl with the shoulder length straight dirty blonde hair that looked a bit like a lion's mane if you looked at it from the side.

"I didn't," Ash said groggily.

"You didn't get any sleep last night!?" I exclaimed and sighed. "Ash... You need to get sleep. You aren't an insomniac so there's no reason for you to not be getting sleep."

"I know, I just prefer the night over the day," Ash said. "You can see the stars at night..."

"But you still need sleep. I have a hard time getting good sleep and you don't. I should know because I've slept in the same room as you before." I said and Ash sighed.

"I think I've been good at getting sleep lately. There have been times when I went days on end without sleep." Ash said and I gave her a look.

"Ash!" I exclaimed.

"Yes I know it's bad! But it isn't that bad actually after about a day of being awake without caffeine. But I eventually start to hallucinate at times." Ash said.

Well, that explains the times when she looked pale with dark circles under her eyes and why she would talk to herself.

"I really need to start tracking your sleep..." I trailed off, feeling probably as tired as she was.

"Okay. Just don't take my phone." Ash said and I let out a tired sigh.

"Deal. Now off to bed. You need to make up for lost sleep." I said and pat her back.

Ash sighed and sat up.

"Goodnight," Ash said before getting up, getting ready and going to bed.

I laid back and relaxed. I did something small that I need for work but I mainly just rested and sat thinking about everything.

When I started drifting off on the couch, I got up, changed into a pair of pajama pants and a soft light grey t-shirt and went to bed.

**Ash's P.O.V**

Bright lights.

It was pitch black in here just a second ago.

But the peaceful darkness was interrupted by very bright white lights that made me slam my eyes shut.

Once my eyesight was able to readjust, I opened my eyes to see those huge lights they hang above people so surgeons have lights to operate under. I tried to move my head, but something above my head, restraints, were preventing me to do so.

I looked around the best I could, and the only things other than this light I could make out were a bunch of rectangular windows equal in size in the top of the room that went into rooms that looked down on this one.

Each of them was filled with people who were obviously scientists.

"Hello?" I spoke meekly with fear.

I felt a draft of cold air wrap around my skin and I heard the insane chuckle of a man.

I tried to move, every part of my body was strapped down to this table. The true fear started to sink in.

"Wh-where am I?" I asked with fear in my voice.

"Where you belong~ Don't be scared, things won't be so bad once you pass out from the pain." A man said and I didn't have to see his face to know he's grinning from ear to ear.

"Wh-what do you mean? What're you gonna do to me?" I asked, my eyes teary.

"What we do to all things that aren't human here... We dissect and study. You're one of the lucky ones, you get to watch as we take you apart. Piece by piece." The man said and was at this point standing next to my table organizing his tools.        

"Bu-but I'm- I'm human- Right?" I stuttered, terrified.

"How retarded are you?" The man in a lab coat asked. "Looks like someone hasn't looked in the mirror lately.."

"You're gonna sedate me right?" I asked after mostly ignoring this guy's last statement with tears beginning to leak from my eyes like raindrops dripping off the petal of a flower.

"Where's the fun in that?! I just told you that you'll be able to watch! Stupid alien bitch..." The man laughed to himself, my eyes darted to the spectators who weren't doing anything other than watching or jotting down notes calmly.

"Someone please help me..." I sobbed, pulling against my restraints as hard as I could.

"Shut the hell up..." The man said through clenched teeth and drug a blade across my forehead which began to bleed.

I did manage to catch a glimpse of his id, which had information such as a picture of himself, his blood type and his name, which is Martin Briggs.

"You see this?" Dr. Briggs said and held up what appeared to be my... tail? What? I don't have a tail!

Anyway, he held it up from between my legs so I could see it.

"Well, this is the last time you'll be able to see it, in all it's glory at least." The doctor said and I felt a blade up against the base of it.  

A small whimper turned into a scream when he started cutting it off slowly. Once he was done with that, he put the appendage in a case and I felt blood gushing out of it and covering the table in my crimson liquid.

I sobbed and yelled from the pain as the doctor turned to grab another tool.

"OH GOD. OH GOD. DADDY! MOMMY! KADE! LUKA! SOMEONE! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" I screamed while sobbing. Wait. I don't have a mom. And who the hell is Luka?

"What part of shut the hell up do you not understand?" The man said, with a handheld saw in his hand that started spinning at the flick of a switch.

"Now about those ugly horns of yours..." The man trailed off.

Horns? What horns?

Anyway, Martin took this saw and put it up to something, probably one of my 'horns' and started to saw through it.

It only pinched at first and I didn't make much noise other than sobs, but by the time he got to the middle of it, I was screaming.

Dr. Briggs didn't even care that I was in pain. He was actually laughing while I was screaming.  

I went through the same pain again when he sawed the other one off.

I finally passed out once he was cutting down the center of my chest and into my abdomen.

**[Nightmare End]**

I jolted awake and sat up in bed. I don't remember what I just had a nightmare about or what went on, all I know is I just had a nightmare and I'm still terrified. 

I sigh and sit up in my bed, shaking badly. I rest my head in my hands and wipe away the tears.

I was still shaken up and I felt the terror I felt in the nightmare still lingering inside me.

I curled up, attempted to calm myself down, rocked myself back and forth a little and cried.

**Taylor's P.O.V**

My heart raced when I saw where I was.

It was the last place I'd ever want to be. I'd rather die than be here.

I had been here before when I was a college student. Stranded. Afraid. Cold. Hungry.

An old friend who helped me through this didn't respond at all. I'm truly alone here.

The wind blew hard over the landscape, picking up grains of sand and hurling them into the exposed skin on my face.

I trudged forward through the darkening, barren landscape in search of one of the dozens of crashed wreckages I found on the computer monitor the last time I was here before it gets too dark and too cold to survive the night without freezing.

A small crashed ship came into view and I sighed with relief.

I was making my way toward it when I tripped.

I must've stepped in something that caused me to trip, wires probably.

No. Something was  _grabbing_  me.

No, not something.  _Someone_.

I tried to pull out of its extremely hard grip, but it was useless.

Whoever was grabbing me stood up and leaned over me with their face close to mine. It was her.

Colby.

Her eyes were glowing green. The eyes that have been haunting me almost every night for about ten years now.

When I first came across these... Things, I ended up feeling fine, comfortable and at ease.

I didn't feel any of that at all. Only fear and pain.

"It's been a long time..." She- No-  _it_ said.

"Let me go!" I yelled and kicked it in the gut.

It wasn't even phased, it just placed it's leg down and broke mine, causing me to yell out.

I yelled out in pain and tried to struggle out again. No luck.

"I'm sorry about your injuries." It said calmly, with hidden sarcasm. "It was required that I got you pinned so we can take over your body."

"Yea. No. Not today bitch!" I yelled and spit in her face, only to get slapped hard.

"So. Are you gonna posses me or what?!" I yelled in her smirking face.

"Oh, this body is too good for me. There are millions of our children who still need one. Like the one who's starting to climb into your mouth."

That's when I noticed there was something reaching up and trying to climb into my mouth from my cheek.

My heart raced, the thing possessing Colby was speaking but I couldn't hear it.

**[Nightmare End]**

"Dad! Dad! Wake up!" Ash said as she shook me.

I slowly faded from my nightmare back into real life, glad someone woke me up before things could get much worse.

I sat up, panting and looked at Ash, who was a mess.

"Ash, what is it? What's wrong?" I asked as I sat up on the edge of my bed.

"Bad dream," Ash said and I nodded softly.

"I thought so. You seem like you did. Are you okay?" I asked, knowing better than to ask what it was about because half the time I don't even remember it and if I do I don't want to talk about it.

"Not really," Ash said and I pat the space next to me for her to sit down.

"Come here," I said after Ash sat down and she leaned in so I could hug her.

I wrapped my arms around her and sighed, resting my head on top of hers.

"On a scale from one to ten, one being not so bad and ten being the absolute worse, how bad was it?" I asked to help me determine what I should do to help her get over it and go back to sleep so she's well rested tomorrow.

"Eleven or twelve. I don't remember what it was about but I know it was something that would be pretty traumatizing." Ash said and I nodded softly.

"Well, I can tell you right now that I'm not gonna let whatever happened, happen. I promise." I said and kissed her on the top of her head.

Ash just sat there, returning my embrace tightly, when she started crying from fear lightly.

I shushed her quietly and held her even closer, rubbing her back, knowing that what went on in her head was some serious crap.

Ash doesn't usually have nightmares, only once in a blue moon. I remember the last time she had a nightmare that at I at least found out about was about two months ago. Apparently, she got kidnapped by a guy who kidnapped girls to 'work for him'. She woke up the next morning and tackle hugged me from out of nowhere. I returned the gesture and she explained everything that happened before we got up and I took a few pain pills every few hours for the rest of the day from being unexpectedly thrown to the floor.

But I can't recall any nightmare that shook her up this badly, especially one that she could barely remember. 

After a little while, I sighed and stood up, guiding Ash to the table and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. I made some warm tea for the both of us that would help us both sleep.

Ash had calmed down a bit and she sat with her knees to her chest and held the blanket tightly around her shoulders with her head down a little and rather blank expression while I made the warm beverages.

Once I was done making them, I walked back over with a mug in each hand and placed Ash's in front of her and mine where I was gonna sit before sitting down with a sigh.

"Feeling any better?" I asked and Ash nodded softly with the mug in her hands.

"A little." She whispered barely loud enough to hear, I could tell she was exhausted, probably from crying.

I leaned back in my chair and relaxed, taking a sip of the tea every few minutes.

About half an hour passed when we were both done and I got up and but both mugs in the sink.

Ash sighed and stood up, with the blanket still snugly wrapped around her shoulders.

I walked up next to her and put my hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Do you want to sleep in your room alone or do you want me to sleep on the couch in your room?" I asked.

"I'll be fine sleeping in my room alone Dad," Ash said tiredly with a sigh.

"Are you sure? Sometimes having company helps." I asked, making sure that she would be comfortable sleeping in a room by herself.

"I'm not a little girl Dad, I think I can sleep alone in a dark room," Ash said softly.

"I know but I'm just making sure," I said and opened the door to her room for her.

Once she walked in, I moved the covers to tuck her in.

Ash rolled her eyes and sighed before slipping in and burying herself in them.

"Goodnight," I said after making sure she was comfortable and patted the blankets that engulfed her entire body except for the top of her head.

"Goodnight," Ash said in the middle of a yawn.

I walked to the door, feeling the effect of the tea hitting me before taking one last look at the speed bump in the bed where Ash was before closing the door behind me.


End file.
